


Any Other Way

by van_daalen



Series: The Hound of New Vegas [1]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Agender Courier, Fluff, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-10 03:00:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11682651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/van_daalen/pseuds/van_daalen
Summary: The Brotherhood of Steel is practically crumbling before her, trying desperately to take her with it, but she can't bare to watch it go. In the darkness of uncertain futures, she clings to only one thing: A present she knows she can count on.





	Any Other Way

**Author's Note:**

> This fic follows my 'main' Courier, who is gender fluid/agender. As such, they use they/them pronouns.

    “Veronica _,_ ” the ever familiar voice rumbled, sounding as rough and dry as it always did. Just a few months ago she would have jumped at the rasping sound, reminded of one too many nightmares about dangers in the dark. But now, as she sat outside her shared tent, the voice only brought her comfort. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to acknowledge it. “ ** _Veronica_**.” This time she took a deep breath and moved to prop her chin on her palm. Evidently that wasn’t enough to satisfy her companion, as a deep _huff_ was heard, and a heavy hand rested on her shoulder, far gentler than it had the right to be. When she still said nothing, the figure behind her did something she hadn’t expected: They plopped right down next to her, settling with a big thud, somehow still towering over her. After a few moments of silence, she cast them a wary glance. As always, she found a helmeted face staring back at her, an old piece of NCR equipment cast into something new. It tilted to the side ever so slightly, the owner taking time to formulate a reply. “You’re gonna be okay. I ain’t gonna let you fade, yeah?...”

    She almost laughed at that. ‘Six’ always had an interesting way of saying things, and the odd accent only added to the effect. They knew it, of course, like they seemed to know everything about emotions and the way things would be perceived. Time after time, they had used it to their advantage… almost always to bring a smile to Veronica’s face. It never failed. Not even now, as she lamented the path her family was treading, could she hold back a soft-lipped grin. The Courier noticed, and gave her back a reassuring rub. Wordlessly she leaned into the touch, letting her eyes drift closed, a deep breath pushing her lungs open. Part of her still wanted to cry- about the Brotherhood, about the Legion’s advancement, about Six’s encounters at the Sierra Madre, about _anything_ \- but she held herself back, trying to focus on something better. As if sensing her struggle, Six gave her a gentle nudge.

    “Hey, hey, none of that now. Mailman’s got you a surprise- a good one, I say,” they murmured, smile evident in their tone. That alone was enough to get Veronica to chuckle a little, as well as roll her eyes, but the Courier wasn’t done there. With a raised brow she waited for them to continue. Quietly they glanced around the camp, exaggerating their head movements for her sake, before leaning in close and reaching their free hand into their jacket. Ever so slowly they pulled something out, still hiding it from her view. “Consider, portable… _smiles_. Good, yeah?” They explained with a chuckle, finally revealing a package of Fancy Lads Snack Cakes. Almost immediately Veronica yoinked it out of their hand, used to having to scarf them down before Rex could get to them. It made both of them pause before breaking into a fit of laughter.

    “Yeah, Six, the mailman brought a good surprise,” Veronica replied once things had calmed down. They stayed quiet for a minute after that, just relishing the sweetness of the moment. Unsurprisingly, though, the silence didn’t last long. Veronica carefully opened up the package, still grinning, before offering half the contents to Six. It seemed a little silly, considering the fact that they had never once removed their helm while in front of her (or any of the others, as far as she knew). What was far sillier, however, was their reaction to the offer. They carefully plucked one of the cakes from the package, lifted it to the edge of the gas mask, and simply smushed it against the apparatus, making fake ‘munching’ sounds all the while. Crumbs were scattered about, but Veronica was too busy laughing to notice. “Wow, Six, here I was thinking that the weirdest thing you’d ever do would be carrying someone out of a room for annoying you. Guess you proved me wrong on that one,” she joked before taking a bite out of one of the other cakes (as normal people do).

    “Bah! ‘Ts not weird to make a friend smile,” the Courier started, once again tipping their head to the side before continuing, “or is that the cranial tremor talkin? Eh, don’t really matter. Made ya laugh, so I think I won the chips this time.” With that said Six leaned back, staring up with what Veronica could only assume to be a smile beneath the mask, eyes probably locked on some distant star. That was one of the things she had always admired about them- their ability to look to the future without fear. Sometimes it felt reckless, of course, and other times it made her feel like they didn’t give enough care to the present. But at the end of the day, they always proved to be ten steps ahead of the rest of the wasteland, always showed her that, even while everything else fell apart, they’d be there for her. To tell her dumb jokes, to set up the tent for her, to get her things they knew she’d treasure, to make sure she packed a lunch, to just… be there for her.

    And now, as she sat beneath a sky full of stars, she knew that she wouldn’t want it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for an August Fanfic challenge, for Day 1: Shameless Fluff.


End file.
